November 3, 2022
Day 14
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Hosting a meeting with all my teammates whom she just met couldn't have been easy. This sudden arrival of three eccentric strangers is probably too much for her. It certainly would have been for me.
Rahul thought as his sister struggled to address their uninvited guests.
After almost a minute of tense silence, Daniel took it upon himself to ask the question on everyone's mind.
"Who are you guys?"
The black man replied.
"We are The Order of Illumination."
Rahul noticed Daniel's eyebrows raise apprehensively. The stranger must have noticed that too, as he immediately added.
"No relations to the similar sounding secret society. Actually, our organization is quite similar to yours, only instead of Software as a Service, we provide Illumination as a Service. We Illuminate a feasible path to success for our clients."
That's... Interesting.
That was all Rahul had time to think, as Daniel was speaking again.
"And what's the price?"
The man replied.
"What we offer is expensive, and the costs are many. Knowledge, influence, money, and more."
Considering their earlier antics, they are now being surprisingly frank.
Rahul thought as he saw Daniel nodding, ready with more questions.
"That's good to know, but when I asked you who you are, I was referring to your names and classes. I'm also curious about how you managed to appear here so suddenly and how you stayed undetected."
The man continued.
"Ahh, of course, we must introduce ourselves. But your other questions... Let's call them trade secrets. Proprietary and confidential information?"
They are going all in with software industry parallels, aren't they?
Rahul thought, a bit amused.
He was once again surprised by a resumption of theatrics, as the man gave a former and rather impressive bow before speaking.
"I'm Sadiq, and until recently, I used to be an Imam in Kenya. With the arrival of the system, a tragedy took the lives of everyone who relied on me for spiritual guidance. As such, I no longer hold that title, but I have taken on a similar responsibility as a Diviner."
The portly man bowed too.
"I'm Ethan, and my story is much simpler. I was and still am a banker, though Sadiq has seen in me a potential that my bosses in the banking sector couldn't in 25 years. And so I have come with him, to realize my destiny. You may thank me for embezzling from various dangerous and powerful settlements in New York and other cities across the continent, disturbing the delicate balance of power and buying you guys a little time before a singularly powerful figure or organization emerges in North America."
The Arabic man repeated the motion before he too introduced himself.
"I'm Ajmal, and my past is something I wish not to speak of. Sadiq knows everything, and he has seen the value in the skills I possessed in my former life and trusts my longing for redemption. God has given me a second chance, and I'm now on a quest for knowledge, understanding, and enlightenment, with my seeds spreading further and further as we speak."
The leader of the group, Sadiq, spoke again.
"While we can't reveal our classes, I can tell you our designations in the Order. I am a fortune broker, Ethan is a coin broker, and Ajmal is a knowledge broker."
So, an oracle, a moneylender, and a spy then. A potent combination. But for all of their showmanship and flair, are they any good at their job? If they are, we could certainly use the intelligence and the money. I'm not sure what to expect from the oracle.
Rahul thought, slightly reassured by the fact that they were here only to conduct business. He was now quite curious about their competence.
Daniel must have been thinking the same thing, as he decided to put their abilities to the test.
"I don't believe you require any introductions from us."
Sadiq shook his head.
"Of course not."
Then, noticing that Daniel was still looking at him, the former Imam understood.
"Ahh, you want to test the wares before you purchase them. Very well then. The stage is yours, Ajmal."
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Fifteen minutes later, the information broker finished relaying everything he knew about the Bastion of Immutability and its key members.
It was a lot.
How did he know about the names of our presences, the kinetic and chronomatic intent, the synergy, and even the dungeon bonus? We have got to hire these guys. We definitely can't let them join our enemy.
Rahul thought, as Daniel addressed the trio.
"You have our attention. What do you propose?"
The Imam replied.
"When the river of fortune starts flowing through your island, I want but the opportunity to take a dip in its blessed waters."
Daniel cocked an eyebrow.
"What does that mean, exactly."
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
The Imam replied.
"What I mean is that we are not here to trade information for money or give loans at extravagant interest rates. As I had said earlier, the costs are many, but what I hadn't mentioned is that they are also irrelevant. We are looking for a long-term partnership. As the Bastion of Immutability grows, so would the Order of Illumination."
Daniel smiled.
"What exactly would this partnership involve."
Sadiq smiled back.
"First, we want to set up the headquarters of The Order of Illumination on your island."
Ethan continued.
"Second, we want exclusive financing rights."
Ajmal finished.
"Thirdly, we want protection. An asylum for my spies should any get identified."
Daniel did not speak immediately, giving Rahul time to process the turn of events.
They have started their three-step routine again, but that's not what's bothering me. The last part makes me confident that they have a spy on the island. It couldn't possibly be among the eight of us, but someone might have arrived with the hundreds that got teleported earlier or the thousands that came later.
Another voice joined the conversation.
"With your permission, I have a proposal to make."
It was Zendyr who had spoken, and he was now looking between Neha and Daniel. After receiving two nods, the steward continued.
"I don't have much time left before my summon period ends, so I'll quickly impart whatever information I can and then bring up the proposal. Firstly, it's common for various guilds to emerge on planets after its integration, and it includes not just banking, trading, or adventuring guilds, but also various others that operate away from within the shadows. Since the latter guilds can easily be hired by anyone for money, it is quite common for the most powerful factions on a planet to cultivate smaller thieves, spies, and assassins guilds that are loyal only to them."
"The dynamics of these guilds are complex. For example, on some planets, a large neutral assassin's guild may exist in tandem with multiple smaller assassin's guilds that fall under the direct control of major factions. On others, the assassin's guild is so powerful that they don't allow any competition to grow, eradicating any and every unaffiliated fledgling assassin, no matter the faction. On many planets, a single faction is dominant and no neutral guilds exist whatsoever, as everyone is subservient to that power. My point is, all kinds of combinations have been tried and tested in the multiverse, and what you are proposing is not novel either. It is, however, quite unconventional and rarely works out."
"A merchant guild, an informant network, and a diviner forming an organization that is neither completely neutral nor completely subservient to a faction? I understand your desire for autonomy, but I don't believe it will work. I would have suggested that you simply align yourself with the bastion and work with us, but you must have your reasons, so I won't try to persuade you."
Sadiq nodded, and Zendyr was now speaking directly to him.
"Still, this background was not just for their benefit, but also yours. As opposed to what you are used to on Earth, there are no limited liability corporate entities in system-enforced contracts. If the Bastion of Immutability and the Order of Illumination get into a partnership, it'll be a contract between you humans. What that means is, if these guys don't come out on top tomorrow, your investment will go down the drain."
Sadiq nodded, and the steward went on.
"My proposal is simple. We hold off on any long-term contracts for now. Instead, extend us a loan at a reasonable interest rate, and charge a fee for any information that you provide us. If we are still alive and in control of the bastion at the end of the day tomorrow, and if we find that your assistance was valuable, then we can move forward with partnership discussions. You too would find it that much easier to bind your fates with ours."
Sadiq thought for a while, then spoke.
"Even before I got the specialization that gives me these skills, I had been feeling a magnetic pull from this island. As a spiritual man with nothing tying me to my home, I took a leap of faith that sent me on a journey. A journey that led me to my two companions, a journey that blessed me with a rare specialization, and a journey that got me here. However, I am only at the beginning of the road, and my faith remains steadfast."
After a pause, he went on.
"But I won't lie to you. My instinct has pulled me to the island, but the 8 individuals that are on the island are only its beneficiaries. Mere mortals who have been baptized in the river of fortune. They are not the source of the fortune, and hence, easily replaceable. I had kept my options open, but after your performance against that monstrous man, the three of us had deemed you worthy. We waited a bit longer after that, but that was only a formality. Our mind is made, and if yours is not, I don't blame you. As your steward requested, I'll give you till the end of tomorrow to make up your mind. And to help you weather tomorrow's storm, we will give you some gifts."
With that, Sadiq looked meaningfully at Ethan, the coin broker, who nodded.
Immediately, Rahul noticed Neha's eyes widen.
What did he do?
Rahul thought and got his answer as Neha projected the notification for everyone to see.
Trade Request
Ethan Lewis of The Order Of Illumination has requested a trade with you.
The Order Of Illumination Gives Jafrabad Settlement Gives 8,957,490 SPs 1 SP
Do you accept?
Once everyone overcame their initial shock, and after confirming with Zendyr that there were no hidden strings to this, Neha accepted.
Rahul looked at the settlement menu.
Settlement Details
Settlement Name
Jafrabad
Settlement population
7592/1000
Bastion
Bastion of Immutability
Unique bastion bonus
Allows any humans within the domain of the colocated settlement to drink salt water without any adverse effects
Settlement bonuses
Expanded settlement domain III, Amphibious IV
Settlement domain highlights
Dungeon of Immutability, unnamed inland hypersaline lake, unnamed cavern, unnamed coral reef formation
Other bastions within settlement domain
N/A
Leadership Bonus
N/A
Council Bonuses
N/A
Settlement points
10,000,000
Buildings
Castle (Lvl 1), Dock (Lvl 1)
Terraforming projects
Unnamed cavern expansion (completed)
Active Settlement Quests
Conquer the Dungeon
We now have exactly 10 million settlement points. Was that posturing? Showing us that they knew exactly how many SPs short of 10 million we were.
Sadiq spoke.
"We will each give you a gift. I hope you liked what Ethan gave you. Now it is Ajmal's turn."
Ajmal silently handed Neha a scroll.
"Everything that I have collected about the factions that are likely to strike tomorrow is here."
Rahul watched as his sister unfurled the scroll till it extended from her shoulder to her knee.
That is a lot of information.
Rahul thought as Sadiq started speaking again.
"And finally, I will give my gift. It's neither advice nor prediction, but a simple statement of fact. The exact number that Ethan traded with you, was a number I had dreamt of last night. At a time when I did not know that Laysan Bastion would become Jafrabad Bastion, at a time when I did not know who we'll partner with and how the meeting would go. At that time, I knew nothing but I knew that number. Do with it what you will, but don't overthink it. Whatever you end up doing would be the thing that you were always meant to do."
With those parting words, Sadiq bowed, and the trio vanished just as abruptly as they had manifested.